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News 03 July 2014

All the news for Thursday 3 July 2014


It's Swiss time in the Hockey World League

Swiss go on 11 goal scoring spree, while Croatia hit half dozen



The men's Hockey World League Round One kicked off in Croatia today at the Zagreb town of Sveti Ivan Zelina, with Switzerland and Croatia getting off to the perfect start. Five teams are contesting the title, and there is an extra frisson to all the Hockey World League events, because it is conceivable that a team with a low FIH World Ranking could get their very own fairytale ending and end up in Rio for the 2016 Olympics.

Starting out on their exciting journey towards hockey superstardom in Croatia are: Switzerland, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Croatia. The opening games, saw coach Christian Stengler's Switzerland hit 11 goals past Bulgaria to win 11-0, while Croatia took on Turkey and won 6-1. Switzerland's Yanik Kloter scored the tournament's first hat-trick, while Mihael Cvetko scored a brace for Croatia. All the squads contain a lot of new caps, but with an average age of just 19.7, the Turkish team are by far the least experienced.

Russian duo Sergey Kostarev and captain Evgeny Makrousov are among the most experienced players; both men are approaching 100 caps for their country. The Russian's opening match is against Bulgaria in the first match of the second day of competition.

The Hockey World League is in its second cycle, and the event was introduced to allow more teams to participate on the international hockey stage. Teams with rankings higher than 20 compete in Round One for the right to compete in Round Two events. In turn, the Round Two competitors, who will have a ranking from 11 to 19 will earn the right to compete in Round Three – the level of competition at which the lower-ranked teams enter the contest. Winners of Round Three go to the finals and will contest the right to play at the Olympic Games in 2016. The top six or seven teams from the Hockey World League will qualify for the Olympics alongside each continental champion.

FIH site



Success for Scottish Umpire

Scottish Umpire Martin Madden has been promoted to the FIH World Panel.

This is the highest umpiring grade, and Martin is one of only 14 Men in the world to be at this grade. Martin a member at Clydesdale was upgraded following his performances at the World Cup last month, where he did a number of key matches including the Bronze Medal Match. There is no rest for the police officer as he is in action again at the Commonwealth Games in three weeks time as the Scottish representative.

Martin is also a member of the FIH Road to Rio Programme, designed to develop the best officials for the Olympics in 2016. Scottish Hockey congratulate him on his promotion to World Panel and wish him all the best as he aims for the Olympic Games in 2016.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Canadian Men's Field Hockey Team Named for 2014 Commonwealth Games

Team opens tournament on July 24th with match vs #4 ranked England

Ottawa, ON – Field Hockey Canada and Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) today confirmed the athletes and coaches named to Team Canada Men for the XXth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Scotland in July.

The Canadian men’s team are currently ranked 16th in the world and are working toward regaining their status in the top 12. The team will be anchored by Olympian Scott Tupper (Vancouver, B.C.), a feared penalty-corner striker who currently plays professionally in Europe and led his Belgian club to the semi-finals of the European Hockey League. Tupper was named to the 2013 Pan American Elite Team, alongside two other Canadians, strikers Matt Guest (Calgary, AB) and Mark Pearson (Tsawwassen, B.C.).

“The field hockey competition is traditionally strong at the Commonwealth Games,” says Team Canada Chef de Mission, Chantal Petitclerc. “Six of the ten men’s teams in Glasgow also competed at this year’s world Cup. This bodes well for a very exciting field hockey tournament, and I look forward to supporting our men’s team on the pitch.”

The Canadian player with the most international caps is Dave Jameson (Vancouver, B.C.), a veteran of the two previous Commonwealth Games (2006 in Melbourne and 2010 in Delhi). Pearson and Wright will likewise appear in their third Commonwealth Games, while Coach Anthony Farry has also included many young players in the squad, with his sight firmly planted on the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto where the Canadians will be seeking qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

“There is a great mix of experience and youth and we know this group is going to perform well for Canada,” says Men’s National Team head coach Anthony Farry. “Our biggest assets as a group are our unwavering ability to fight hard for each other and our belief that we can compete with the top nations.”

The Canadian Men will play in pool B with England (ranked 4th in the world), New Zealand (6th), Malaysia (13th) and Pan American rivals Trinidad & Tobago. They open their Glasgow campaign on Thursday July 24 vs. New Zealand.

“Our men enter the games with momentum and confidence,” says Field Hockey Canada CEO Jeff Sauvé. “This is a dedicated group that will represent canada w great heart and passion."

A team of 267 athletes and close to 100 coaches and support staff will be in Glasgow, Canada’s largest Team ever fielded for a non-home Games. The entire Canadian Team will be officially announced by Commonwealth Games Canada in July 2014.

“Congratulations to the players who will make up the Canadian men’s field hockey team at the Commonwealth Games,” said the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport). “I look forward to seeing this team excel on the pitch in Glasgow, as our teams have done so often before.”

The Men’s Team nominated by Field Hockey Canada to Team Canada for the 2014 Commonwealth Games includes:

Name Position/Caps Hometown
David Carter Goalkeeper/85 Vancouver, BC
Taylor Curran Midfield/60 North Vancouver, BC
Adam Froese Defender/81 Abbotsford, BC
Matthew Guest Forward/74 Calgary, AB
Richard Hildreth Forward/118 Vancouver, BC
Gabriel Ho-Garcia Forward/29 Burnaby, BC
David Jameson Defender/198 Vancouver, BC
Gordon Johnston Defender/41 Vancouver, BC
Benjamin Martin Defender/50 Vancouver, BC
Sukhpal Panesar Midfield/16 Surrey, BC
Mark Pearson Midfield/150 Tsawwassen, BC
Keegan Pereira Midfield/78 Ajax, ON
Iain Smythe Forward/77 Vancouver, BC
Scott Tupper (Captain) Defender/183 Vancouver BC
Paul Wharton Midfield/22 Vancouver, BC

Philip Wright Forward/138 Vancouver, BC
Head Coach: Ian Anthony Farry
Assistant Coach: Paul Bundy
Team Manager Celia Plottel
Physiotherapist: Robert Dunlop
Video Analyst: Paul Mounter

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held from July 23rd to August 3rd, 2014, and will be the largest ever multi-sport event held on Scottish soil.

Field Hockey Canada media release



Chandi returns to India's Sardar-led CWG men's hockey squad


File photo of India forward Gurwinder Singh Chandi. (Reuters)

New Delhi: India may have finished a poor ninth at the World Cup, but Hockey India continued to repose faith in Sardar Singh, retaining him as captain of the national men's team for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be the vice-captain of the 16-member squad at the July 23-August 3 event in Glasgow, which will also see forward Gurwinder Singh Chandi making a comeback following a long injury layoff.

Hockey India selectors B P Govinda, Harbinder Singh, RP Singh and Arjun Halappa, along with Director of High Performance Roelant Oltmans and chief coach Terry Walsh, shortlisted the players on the basis of their performance during the selection trials conducted here at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on June 30 and July 1.

The preparatory camp is currently underway in the capital and will continue until the team leaves for Scotland on July 12.

India will play their opening match against Wales on July 25, followed by games against Scotland on July 26, Australia on July 29 and South Africa on July 31. In the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the Indian men's hockey team had won the silver medal.

"The team is in good shape and ready to take on the challenges in the Commonwealth Games 2014. The entire team is showing strong signs of improvement and is dedicated towards overcoming the areas where they are lacking," said Walsh.

Sardar said the team was working on the grey areas. "The whole team is positive about the Commonwealth Games and motivated to perform well in all the matches. We are working on the loop holes by analysing the mistakes made in the matches during the World Cup through video sessions. The efforts have been amplified in order to give our best in the Commonwealth Games," said Sardar.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh (vice-capt)

Defenders: Gurbaj Singh, Birendra Lakra, Rupinder Pal Singh, Kothajit Singh, VR Raghunath

Midfielders: Dharamvir Singh, Sardar Singh (capt), Danish Mujtaba, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Manpreet Singh

Forwards: Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Nikkin Thimmaiah

IBNLive



Chandi and Nikkin make comeback for the Commonwealth Games

The Indian mens team for the Commonwealth Games has been announced

Goalkeeper
P R Sreejesh (100 Caps) Vice-Captain

Defenders:
Gurbaj Singh (164 Caps)
Birendra Lakra (71 Caps)
Rupinder Pal Singh (89 Caps)
Kothajit Singh (71 Caps)
V R Raghunath (160 Caps)

Midfielders:
Dharamvir Singh (75 Caps)
Sardar Singh (186 Caps) Captain
Danish Mujtaba (111 Caps)
Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (52 Caps)
Manpreet Singh (97 Caps)

Forwards:
Ramandeep Singh (11 Caps)
Akashdeep Singh (41 Caps)
S V Sunil (137 Caps)
Gurwinder Singh Chandi (97 Caps)
Nikkin Thimmaiah (11 Caps)

Stick2Hockey.com



Indian women’s hockey team for CWG

Hockey India on Wednesday announced the women’s team for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held at Glasgow from July 23 to August 3. India will start its campaign against Canada on July 24.

Speaking on the selection, chief coach Neil Hawgood said: “The team showcased good play, team spirit and a go-getter spirit in the recently concluded Malaysian Tour. “Each one of them had performed remarkably under the proficient leadership of Ritu Rani and has earned their position.”

“It’s an honour to captain a team which is capable of beating any side on any given day. The entire team is looking forward to the upcoming tournament,” said Rani.

The team: Goalkeeper: Savita; defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika, Kirandeep Kaur, Namita Toppo, Jaspreet Kaur; midfielders: Ritu Rani, Sushila Chanu, Lilima Minz, Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur; forwards: Rani, Poonam Rani, Ritusha Arya, Anupa Barla, Anuradha Devi.

The Hindu



Foreign coaches not helping Indian hockey: Dhanraj Pillay

RAJKOT: Former hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay on Wednesday said that he was opposed to the import of foreign coaches in India as it was not helping the players.

"The standard of Indian hockey is going down because of the foreign coaches as they are unaware of the strength and the weakness of Indian players," Pillay said here.

"Indian coaches can do much better than the foreign coaches, because Indian coaches know our players' strength and weakness," said the Olympian.

"I have been telling (the authorities) to appoint Indian coaches since 2004 and I believe that Indian coaches are able to train Indian players but we should give them time to settle down," Pillay said.

He was here to take part in Gujarat government's talent-hunt. He had met and interacted with about 150 young boys and girls in the state so far, he said.

He also said he was disappointed that legendary Dhyan Chand was not considered for the first Bharat Ratna award for sportsperson, which was accorded to Sachin Tendulkar.

"Better late than never, and I hope the Government of India will consider his name for the next Bharat Ratna," Pillay said.

Talking about the Hockey India League (HIL), he said, "Players are getting good money and this is the only benefit for Indian hockey players."

The Times of India



Brown replaces Hayward

Kiel Brown has been called up to replace the injured Jeremy Hayward for Commonwealth Games



The Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) has approved a change to the Australian men’s hockey team selected to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this month.

Defender Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT), 21, has been withdrawn from the squad after suffering a stress reaction in his right foot. Hayward will be replaced by Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD), 30.

Brown, who has played 145 times for Australia, will make his first appearance at a Commonwealth Games. An experienced defender, he won an Olympic bronze medal in 2008 and World Cup gold medal in 2010. He was a reserve for the London 2012 Olympic Games and most recently was a member of the Australian squad at the World League Finals in Delhi in January.

The Australian men begin their Commonwealth Games gold medal defence against Wales at 23:00 AEST on Saturday, 26 July. They depart for Glasgow on Saturday, 19 July.

Revised Australian men’s hockey team for the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014
Athlete (Hometown) Commonwealth Games history
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) Debut
Kiel Brown (Toowoombda, QLD) Debut
Andrew Charter (GK) (Canberra, ACT) Debut
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 2010
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) Debut
Kieran Govers (Wollongong, NSW) Debut
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 2010
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 2006, 2010
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA) 2010
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 2010
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 2010
Andrew Philpott (Melbourne, VIC) Debut
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD) 2010
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) Debut
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) Debut
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) Debut

Hockey Australia media release



Baljit puts decision to quit hockey on hold

By Aftar Singh


Baljit Singh Charun (right) has been included in the Commonwealth Games squad by national coach K. Dharmaraj. — filepic
   
KUALA LUMPUR: Defender Baljit Singh Charun has decided to put his quit decision on hold after being included in the national hockey team for next month’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The 27-year-old was left out of three tournaments this year – the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in March, the Champions Challenge 1 in Kuantan in April and last month’s World Cup in The Hague, Holland.

Following Malaysia’s disastrous show in the World Cup, national coach K. Dharmaraj promptly included Baljit in the Games squad. Malaysia finished last among the 12 teams, losing all their six matches and conceded 26 goals.

“I featured in all the tournaments for the national team last year. Suddenly, I was not required any more this year. I thought of quitting if failed to get a place for the Commonwealth Games,” said Baljit, who has 191 international caps.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Baljit is known for his guts. He is always the first out of the line when Malaysia defend against penalty corners.

“I have injured my knee a couple of times while stopping penalty corners, but it will not stop me from doing that in Glasgow.

“I hope to put up a good show in Glasgow as I want to secure a place in the team for the Asian Games (in Incheon in September),” said Baljit, who also played in the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

For the Commonwealth Games, Malaysia will open their Group B campaign against Canada on July 26. Their other matches are against England (July 27), Trinidad and Tobago (July 29) and New Zealand (July 31).

Defending champions Australia, India, Wales, South Africa and Scotland are in Group A.

The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have not set any target for the team after a poor outing in the World Cup.

The Star of Malaysia



Whitelock: Too early to talk about swansongs

KAYLA WHITELOCK


SKIPPER: As expected, Kayla Whitelock will lead the NZ women's hockey team at the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Photosport

OPINION: As the Commonwealth Games draw nearer, I'm being asked more and more if it will be my swansong.

If, after 219 tests, plus hopefully six more in Glasgow, I'll be hanging up my stick and Black Sticks skirt and calling it quits.

It's no secret that my husband, George, is heading to Japan to play with the Panasonic Wild Knights soon and I'm going with him.

That will mean I miss the Champions Trophy in Argentina and maybe a home series before.

But at this stage I'm not sure what I'm going to decide after six months in Japan.

I might find I enjoy life away from hockey, doing more study and looking at other options or I might just miss hockey and the girls so much and want to come back.

The 2016 Olympics are a big deal, especially after we did so well in London, only narrowly missing out on a medal.

That's two years away and in hockey terms that's a lot of training and a lot of matches.

So I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. At the moment, I'm just looking forward to a change and a break and spending time with George. Our commitments and schedules mean we haven't spent much time together since we got married this year.

As for Japan, I'm going to carry on studying while I'm there. I've done a degree but I'm studying a financial management course online and I don't think I'll play hockey while I'm there.

I'm looking forward to learning about the culture and maybe learning some Japanese.

Before that, of course, we have the Commonwealth Games. I'll enjoy a break a lot more if we've given the Games a really good crack first.

Our team was named this week and it was goalkeeper Bianca Russell and Michaela Curtis who were the unlucky ones.

Bianca misses out because this tournament's rules say we don't have to take two goalies like we do to some tournaments.

With an emphasis on speed, the coaches decided it was best to carry the extra field player.

Stuff



Ireland U21 Team Selected for the Europeans (men)

Ireland U21 Men’s Coach Jonny Caren has named his selection for the upcoming European Junior Championships II taking place in Lousada, Portugal from July 13th – 19th.

Caren has made his selection after extensive reviewing of players including five training camps since January, a 4 Nations and the U21 Interprovincials tournament. The announcement comes just a couple of days after Caren had his final camp which took place in Lisnagarvey.

Commenting on his selection Coach Caren said “After our final preparation camp in Lisnagarvey for the past 5 days I have made my selections based on what I believe will best suit us with the opposition we face in Portugal in two weeks time. However the decision was extremely difficult with so much quality shown at this age group.”

"The squad were outstanding in their application of technical and tactical requirements at the camp and with the use of the first beat system we were able to push the boys to their limits to get the best out of them and preparing for 5 games in 6 days in 30+ degrees in Portugal.”

“The team has a balance of experience, with some players already having senior caps, and youth, four players still eligible for Under 18 hockey. These players selected have grown close as a squad which will hopefully help when it comes to tournament hockey”.

Ireland U21 Team

Matthew Bell, (Banbridge)
Peter Brown, (UCD)
Nick Burns, (UCD)
Jamie Carr, (Monkstown)
Lee Cole, (Monkstown)
Ben Cosgrove, (Grove Menzies)
Jeremy Duncan, (UCD)
Neal Glassey, (Mossley)
Mark Ingram, (Pembroke Wanderers)
James Lorimer, (Lisnagarvey)
Mark Loughrey, (Pembroke Wanderers)
Owen Magee, (Banbridge)
Johnny McKee, (Banbridge)
Sean Murray, (Lisnagarvey)
Harry Spain, (Pembroke Wanderers)
Daragh Walsh, (Three Rock Rovers)
Simon Wolfe, (Cork C of I)
Jamie Wright, (Portadown)

Non Traveling Reserves
Peter McKibbin, (Annadale)
Ravin Nair, (UCD)

Match Schedule Europeans (all local times)
Monday 14th July Ireland v Russia (16.00)
Tuesday 15th July Ireland v Ukraine (16.00)
Wednesday 16th July Ireland v Portugal (18.00)
Friday 18th Classification
Saturday 19th Classification

Tournament Website

Irish Hockey Association media release



Harvestehuder add two new players to winning panel

EHL and German champions Harvestehuder THC are among a number of German sides looking to strengthen for the 2014/15 season, adding Daniel von Drachenfels and Yanik Kloter to their roster.

Von Drachenfals arrives after six years with Club an der Alster while Kloter is a Swiss 24-year-old national player who begins law school in Hamburg this autumn.

"For us, the two new additions are very much worthwhile, not only because they strengthen our squad but also because of their individual strengths, "says coach Christoph Bechmann, pictured. "Daniel is a great player either up front or can also be used in the midfield. Yanik is an incredibly fast striker, who has long been considered a major talent in Switzerland."

Rot-Weiss Köln have brought in Florian Scholten from Uhlenhorst Mülheim who coach Frederik Merz says is destined for a place in their midfield

"With his technical skills and his attacking instincts, Florian will be able to help us on that," Merz said. "In addition, this is also good for the competition in midfield and the more intensive development of the team."

He hopes to add a couple more players to the squad prior to the new season.

Elsewhere, Mülheim's goalkeeper Felix Reuss will move to Club an der Alster.

Euro Hockey League media release



Tearful Goodbye to Begumpur School

OTHL leaves the most successful school as it achieves all the targets

K Arumugam



Hockey Citizen Group was founded with an aim to create hockey culture in schools, inarguably the first step to promote any sport. Hockey Citizen Group (HCG), after a while with intense brainstorming among themselves, conceptualized a project which was named with the achievable target in its mind and also in its label itself: One Thousand Hockey Legs (OTHL).

One thousand is a target, pertaining to number of kids we want to introduce in each school in each city we chose to operate after getting leader-volunteers. We targeted 20 quality kids in each school, therefore one thousand refers to 500 kids, meaning 25 schools in each city.


Unused, vegetative, rugged school ground as it existed in the early 2011

Along the way, while we keep the One Thousand target in our mind, we also scrutiny what we do in each school after 3,4 years of work. Our idea is to create a hockey culture, and once a strong team is established and a good support system put in place, we are to leave them to manage their affairs on their own, so that we can move on to next target.

Our objective is not to sit on the asset we created, and gain glory out of it for lifetime. No, not at all, our idea and mission is to spread the game as much as possible in educational institutions, once it is done, the sports will take it own good course and manage itself.


Deployed heavy machinery to clear debris, level the ground

Delhi is the fifth and last city where the OTHL was introduced. It’s a fact in Delhi that out of 2400 Secondary Schools, hardly 10 of them have really worthy hockey teams.

We are happy at this point of time that we created 24 good school hockey team in Delhi, with right age boys in place, coach and play ground, though smaller and basic in needs, to support.

Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Begumpur, is one of the many schools tucked into a remote sides of the city; just in the backyards of Aurobindo College, is hardly known in hockey circle before the school was kind enough to embrace OTHL.


As an experiment, planted grass on sandy top and found it working.

Begumpur is the third school we enrolled in Delhi after Kulachi Hansraj (Ashok Vihar) and Saket. Those who follow OTHL knows for sure Begumpur is the school that gave my NGO a name in the hockey circle. The school did not have any clue on hockey when we took them in the early 2010. There was a basket ball ground, adjoining is a make shift volley ball court. Beyond that a long bush, with thorny shrubs, outsiders often unloading waste building dig outs at their will. The space measuring about 40 X 50 m was diffused, no one daring to go there for the fear of harmful insects it is infested with.

In three years we operated with the school, we made great strides, and one can easily make out that from the facts below:


Begumpur boys after winning the Modernite tournament

***The school won the Modernites Sub-Junior Inter-school Cup TWICE.
***The school reached the QUARTERFINALS of the Waverriders’ Inter-school Cup 2013.
***The school’s boy was declared Best Goalkeeper of the above Waveriders’ tournament.
***The school accounts for top six players of the Delhi OTHL XI team, formed out of 18, 20 schools.
***5,6 players of the school were in the All India OTHL team that played successfully in the prestigious Nehru Cup (Sub-Junior) TWICE so far.
***The school won the inaugural Nehru-OTHL organized Dhyan Chand Sports Day Cup last year.
***5 boys of the school also played the 4th HI Sub-Junior Nationals this year at Vadodara representing Citizen Hockey XI, our OTHL brand therein.
***Two of the boys, so gifted and hardworking, were taken into top brand Delhi institution -- Modern School, Barakhamba Road – with free admission, and the duo lifted the school hockey team to higher level.
***The boys also won medals in athletics! Incidentally, both boys are sons of a rickshaw puller.
***So far only one OTHL boy could break into the strong Delhi School Games team; and he hails from Begumpur stable.
***He played the Ranchi SGFI Under-14 Nationals last year.


One of the stars of the Begumpur team, Abhisek Rana, with his best player trophy

***Half of the team that reached the semifinals of the Delhi Education Department’s Zonal Championship last year hail from Begumpur.

Then when on earth does the HCG give up the school?

Simply because, we have achieved all our targets in the school such as

***The school now has three teams:
====Senior team (11th and 12th class, Under-17)
====Junior team (8th to 10th class, Under-15)
====Sub-Junior team (6th and 7th class, Under-13)


The first team of Begumpur, taken in 2011.

***The school has a reasonable hockey ground. We first levelled it with JCB; cleared all debris, we were even successful in making green top on virtually a beach like sandy parts of the ground. By all means, we have established a hockey legacy.

***Government of Delhi has acknowledged the improvement the school had made over the last three years, and therefore in their wisdom appointed a part time hockey coach. It means the state government has declared the school as one of the State Hockey Centres.

State Hockey Centre implies the school will henceforth get equipment and technical support regularly.

This is exactly what we want to achieve. We want to be a catalyst. We enter a school where hockey had never been heard of, not to speak of availability of field of play, and make it a neo Hockey Centre. Now the little known Begumpur is a State Hockey Centre.

We gave free equipment, free coaching for three years; created and maintained a hockey ground, got the boys at least six tournament exposures per year, and in the process saw dozen of hockey gems germinating.


Six of Begumpur boys in the Delhi OTHL XI team

This school team visited Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Bhilwara (Rajasthan) and Nagpur (Maharashtra).

We, as a concept, don’t want to sit on our achievement to reap its benefits for the sake of growth of our NGO.

Our priority is hockey, not NGO.

Our objective is to create AS MANY BEGUMPURS AS POSSIBLE.

It can only be achieved if we move out of Begumpur.

Yes, this we have done it after a year of dilemma and discussion, mainly because of emotional attachment we all had with this school, as it gave identity to our work in Delhi city.

That’s the reason we bade goodbye to the school on 31st March 2014.


Brajgopal, the forward, is a great trier

On that day, we invited all the players, gave them a small party, issue certificate based on their duration of practice and degree of achievement. We also thanked School Principal Mr. Varma and Games teacher Mr. Kulwinder Singh for all their co-operation, without which we stood nowhere.

It was also an emotional decision, very difficult to take, as most of the stars of the team are backbone of entire Delhi OTHL phenomena, role models for new kids and sentimentally attached to many of us, HCG volunteers. Besides, at least half a dozen of them are extremely vital to our competitive needs.

We have to, therefore, work hard and double to fill up the talent vacuum created by their exit.

We haven’t just said goodbye to them. We assured the boys that we will continue to monitor the schools’ hockey team for another year or so. We will consider return, though a remote possibility, if any case the system we put in there shows any sign of stagnation.

We also identified SIX PLAYERS FOR MONTHLY SCHOLARSHIP FOR TWO YEARS to get them ready for college admission from two years now on.

This is our tribute to their hardwork and commitment.

Mission accomplished, we move on with mist in our eyes.


Two boys, who were adopted by the Modern School, with the principal

Stick2Hockey.com



Helping English hockey to reach new heights

Following a successful World Cup and European Championships to look forward to next summer, let's support and shape the future of the sport, says Rod Gilmour

By Rod Gilmour


On the rise: packed crowds in Holland, but can hockey making same progression as rugby and become professional in the UK? Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The recently concluded Rabobank Hockey World Cup will be a “seminal moment” in how the sport is perceived by UK television broadcasters and sponsors, according to England Hockey, the national governing body.

One of the challenges now is to turn the game from an amateur to professional sport – in line with rugby’s progression in the mid Nineties - and with the help of NOW: Pensions, England Hockey’s sponsor of the men’s game, the seed has been sown.

“There’s no reason why the same couldn't fall into place for hockey, turning it into the professional sport that rugby now is,” says Jonathan Cockcroft, England Hockey’s commercial director.

“Back then there was a television deal and commercial investment from the main sponsor and the passionate, affluent rugby enthusiasts that are still supporting the game today.

“The same principals of turning international success into visibility and increased participation should be happening at a local level within clubs as well.”

It is a sentiment shared by Sally Munday, England Hockey’s chief executive, who believes that clubs across the UK are also “recognising the part they can play, from an amateur to a professional space.”

She says: “One of the challenges due to the geography is that we are now seeing a trend of more clubs merging. Five years ago, we had over 1,000 clubs where now we have 850.

“The trend will continue and when they become stronger, economic entities the chances of us becoming more professional, at the top end, are higher.”

Hockey’s visibility has already started thanks to Sky Sports broadcasting every match live during the World Cup. Meanwhile, Cockroft “can definitely envisage” a television deal with a major broadcaster in the future.

“The World Cup will be a seminal moment of hockey’s perceptions in UK broadcasters’ eyes,” he says. “What we have done with Sky Sports is that we are committed to delivering high-quality content.”

Sky Sports used the International Hockey Federation’s high-quality feed to position the sport in a professional manner. From master classes to professional studio analysis, hockey’s perception as an old-fashioned sport was put firmly to bed.

“The content was engaging and I’m sure it will have inspired many new fans in the sport,” adds Cockroft.

England Hockey now want to create greater ticket sales and entice sponsors to be associated with a successful sport. Cockroft says: “The ability for a sponsor like NOW: Pensions is to create great experiences for our customers. It is a great marketing platform.”

The next major event to be held in the UK will be next summer’s 2015 European Championships at hockey’s Olympic legacy venue, Lee Valley.

England Hockey are actively seeking a title sponsor, which will see thousands of supporters from across the continent converge on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

When tickets go on sale on July 24, it will be the first time that fixtures will have been announced with over a year to go until the start of the event.

England Hockey believe that Lee Valley will also be a launch pad for the growth of hockey in the UK, with the venue well-structured to host domestic finals and major international events.

“We can scale down from 15,000 to 3,000, depending on demand,” concludes Cockroft. “There will be a really intense feel at Lee Valley.”

The Telegraph



NZ Midlands U18s get a taste of elite training



The newly announced Midlands Hockey Under 18 teams had a taste of 'elite training' when they were introduced to applied training techniques at Wintec’s state of the art sport science facilities.

The training session followed an event to signal the start of Wintec’s sponsorship of the U18 men’s and women’s teams. Players were joined by around 50 friends, family and key people from the hockey world last night to celebrate the partnership.

Wintec’s director for the Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance, Greg Smith says he’s pleased to partner with Midlands and is excited about the value they will add to the teams.

“To be competitive, athletes rely on skilled practitioners for the latest and best scientific information and techniques. We have some highly skilled and experienced lecturers working with us at Wintec. It is great to have them sharing their knowledge and helping to mold our region’s up and coming athletes.”

Midlands Hockey’s high performance director, Simon Brill believes that the training session benefited the athletes two-fold.

“It introduces the concepts of elite training while providing this group with an insight into just a few of the tertiary education options available at Wintec,” he said.

Wintec staff will continue to work with the teams in Wintec’s facilities throughout the year.

The New Zealand National Regional Under 18 Tournament begins in Napier on Sunday 6 July.

Both teams have four New Zealand age group squad members, including Aidan Sarikaya and Frances Davies who have been named in the New Zealand Hockey 5 teams which is competing at the World Youth Olympics in China in August.

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Black Sticks get revenge on Guy Williams



Radio host Guy Williams faced up to the Black Sticks Women after publicly calling them out on air.

Last week Williams launched a barrage on hockey, calling the sport 'just a news filler' and 'not even a real sport' (listen to the podcast here, 39 mins in).

Following the comments, we challenged him to find out for himself how real the sport is!
 
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Duke field hockey coach honored

Duke field hockey coach Pam Bustin was among the first group to be inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in nearly a decade, receiving the honor over the weekend in in Lancaster, Pa.

Bustin was joined in the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2014 by Tracey Fuchs, Katie Kauffman Beach, Kate “Tiki” Kinnear, Jill Reeve, Nigel Traverso and the 1984 U.S. Women’s Olympic Bronze Medal Team.

The team captain of the United States’ under-21 team from 1987-89, Bustin competed in the 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990 U.S. Olympic Festivals.

At the collegiate level, Bustin has revitalized the Duke program in her three seasons. She directed the Blue Devils to a 38-26 record, as well as trips to the NCAA title match in 2013 and the NCAA quarterfinals in 2011.

News Observer



Game, set and match – hockey is aced by tennis

Hockey is in Roger Federer's genes. Unfortunately tennis netted him first


(Photo: DAMIEN MEYER)

As Roger Federer eases into the quarter-finals at this year's Wimbledon Championship, no-one will be prouder than Lynette Federer, Roger's mother. It was she who first spotted that her son was a natural sports player and it was also Lynette who spent many hours with the young Roger hitting tennis balls to him or kicking aorund with a football. But, if Roger had followed in his mother's footsteps, then he might be gracing the playing surface of a very different game.

While some of Roger's genes come from his football-mad father, his mother was also an exceptionally talented all-round athlete, and her passion was… hockey.

Lynette was brought up in South Africa, in a suburb of Johannesberg and, as a child and teenager, she was to be found excelling on the hockey pitches at Kempton Park. She also played regional hockey and was, in her own words "nearly always among the top three athletes".

"I had athletic talent, a competitive spirit, a healthy dose of ambition and strength of mind," says Lynette. "In South Africa, you simply grow up with sports." Hockey took a back seat when Lynette met her footballing husband to be. They discovered they had one sport in common – tennis – and soon they were regulars at the Swiss Club in Johannesburg. A few years later, following a move to Switzerland and giving birth to two children, Lynette was still to be found demonstrating her competitiveness as she played uncompromising tennis matches against her son. "I never let him win," she says. That approach doesn't seem to have damaged her son's prowess as a tennis player and you get the feeling that hockey's loss was tennis' gain.

FIH site

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